The Innocents
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Movie Reviews of The Innocents
Movie Review: Who's Zoomin' Who?
Summary: 5 Stars
[This review is part of my 31 days of Halloween series.]
There are certain aspects of this b&w puzzler that remind me of THE OTHERS with Nichole Kidman. The audience is presented a landscape with many undertones linking between the world of the living and the shadowland of those who have passed over. Deborah Kerr is outstanding as the repressed Victorian type governess. She is hired to take complete charge of 2 children who live in an appropriately gloomy mansion in the country. The man who hires her is the very reluctant guardian (Michael Redgrave) of the pair. He makes it clear that he is not interested in any future personal involvement. So, Kerr finds herself more or less stranded with the rather odd (and uncomfortably close) brother & sister. There is only a rather nice--and rather simple--housekeeper to provide any kind of adult companionship.
But are they really alone?
What unfolds is an extremely intelligent script & expert direction crafting a subtle yet gripping story of love, betrayal, psychic manipulation, death & suicide.
When this film was initially released in Great Britain it did so with an astonishing "X" rating. Apparently the movie earned this repressive tag because of one scene where the boy displays seductive behavior to his confused governess--or is it really the boy, or a spirit acting through him? Anyway, the scene was considered so forbidden that the child actor was not allowed to see the entire script & was given very little in the way of motivation. Surprisingly the scene is very effective--and really isn't "naughty" at all.
This is a b&w classic--and the fact that it is black & white sets up the atmosphere of shadow & light, misty gardens & an all round gothic sensation.
Valerie Bertinellie produced & starred in a 1980's YV version that was extremely good on all points. Of course it was in color, but this version maintained the atmospheric "feel" of the story.
The Haunting
The Changeling
Hammer Horror Collection (The Curse of Frankenstein / Dracula Has Risen from the Grave / Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed / Horror of Dracula / The Mummy / Taste the Blood of Dracula)
Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)
Bride of Chucky
Bram Stoker's Dracula (Collector's Edition)
Movie Review: Monumentally good, genuinely frightening.
Summary: 5 Stars
Green young Preacher's daughter Miss Giddens (Kerr) accepts a post as Governess-cum-Mother to young, orphaned Miles (Martin Stephens) and Flora (Pamela Franklin). Befriending the well-meaning housekeeper Mrs. Grose (Meg Jenkins), Miss Giddens soon discovers that the seemingly harmless relationship between bother and sister is much, much more serious and sinister than meets the eye.
The first and most satisfying aspect of "The Innocents" is the undeniable quality with which every aspect of the production is handled. On the acting front, Kerr, Stephens and Franklin give powerhouse performances, whole and plausible and thoroughly riveting. I won't even refer to the latter pair as 'child actors' - these kids are so good that they equal in every respect the performances given by their adult costars. Kerr is a beautiful, winsome and righteous-without-indignation Miss Giddens, and her skill at keeping the viewer guessing while maintaining the Julie Andrews-like facade of goodness and kindness is consummate.
Direction by Jack Clayton (who, as a Joan Crawfordophile, I had only ever come across directing "The Story of Esther Costello" before - a good movie, sure, but simply not in this league) is superlative - in his hands, the screenplay, which could have been filmed at a much slower pace, becomes an energetic and charismatic locomotive of thrills and genuine scares. His use of audio is extremely remarkable for the period, too - and the experimental nature of the mixed dialogue samples and the haunting theme tune make a perfect, perfect accompaniment to the starkly gothic visuals.
The screenplay is great, the dialogue comes thick and fast and keeps us quite literally riveted from start to finish. Of course, the powerhouse performances by the three lead characters could have made up for most things, but William Archibald, in adapting Henry James' classic tale "The Turn Of The Screw", has created an enthralling script with a minimum of dull moments.
And here's the real kick: this is one of the most effective, genuinely frightening films I've seen for years. The last movie I remember seeing that unsettled me this much was Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining", and that's real praise: I'm a huge fan of horror, and have seen so many movies - but "The Innocents" will stay with me forever. I can't give you examples because I might give the plot away, and I really want for you to experience this movie for yourself, but please, trust me: this is well worth your time and money.
DVD conversion is very good: although the sound is simply mono the print is crisp and clean, and picture quality is very high. Special features don't amount to much but what the hell, the feature itself would be cheap at twice the price.
Get this movie, it's as simple as that. You don't need to know anything else, except that you're in for a literate, polished, effective and truly brilliant ride.
Wholeheartedly recommended.
Movie Review: THE INNOCENTS - 1961 - DIR: JACK CLAYTON
Summary: 5 Stars
Anyone who has read my review of 'Village of the Damned' on the MovieKids site, will have gathered that I do have a bit of a 'thing' about Martin Stephens, the young child star of this film. Hardly surprising, when having experienced that totally controlled, (for such a young actor), icy malevolence he brought to his role there, and then to discover that he is only just one year older (13) in 'The Innocents', I find that he is exhibiting a massive and almost adult, but certainly highly mature understanding of his role as the haunted boy, Miles, who is apparently possessed by the spirit of his dead mentor, (or tormentor!), Peter Quint, the former gamekeeper.
This man, according to Henry James, the author of the novel,'The Turn of the Screw', from which this story is taken, 'made free' with the boy! What are we to deduce? Is this the way things are or were? Who knows! Is Miles truly the 'wicked boy', sent home from his boarding school for 'being a bad influence' on the other boys, or is he just a sad, tormented youngster who is being led to believe, by his possibly misled and obsessive governess, that he is indeed evil? Are he and his sister even the victims of paedophilic abuse? Or - the willing partners in an adult game they are consciously embracing and desperately want to be a part of?
Whatever conclusion we come to, Martin Stephens, with his intelligent understanding of what he is portraying, coupled with huge acting skills gained from his previous, equally demanding two roles, provides us with a character of a boy who is both charming and extremely bright but who is also secretive and devious - and yes! - certainly highly sensual - and who is almost playfully leading the somewhat gullible Miss Giddins, (his Governess, played by the brilliant Deborah Kerr - watch out for one of the most famous - or infamous - screen kisses of all time between an adult and a child!!), a merry dance, along with his equally charming and seemingly guileless girl co-star, Pamela Franklin - young star of 'The Lion', - with his game of 'Am I - Aren't I?', `Will I - Won't I?', down the path of, for her, almost demented paranoia.
Have I whetted your appetite for this unique production? I hope so! Get it - see it - and you will almost certainly be beguiled by this, the first outing for its young Director, Jack Clayton - (very soon after to be showered with accolades for his subsequent oeuvres) - in a work of dark suspicion, adult moral dilemma - or - childhood fantasy games, playing up to the adult gallery? Or - is it? See for yourself!
The memory of my first viewing of this brilliant movie, in a darkened cinema of 1961, and presented by what was certainly a highly imaginative cinema projectionist, will never leave me. However, the very same haunting experience is still there on the smaller screen and I, for one, would most certainly not be without it in my vast collection of classic movies.
Movie Review: supremely-effective ghost thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
THE INNOCENTS is based on Henry James' classic gothic novella "The Turn of the Screw". The story recounts one Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr), a young governess who has just been offered her first big job, as teacher and companion to two young children at a country estate. Their mysterious Uncle (Michael Redgrave) makes the offer too good to resist and Miss Giddens excitedly travels to Bly House, to start her new job.
At first everything seems too good to be true; Flora (Pamela Franklin) and Miles (Martin Stephens) are wonderful children, displaying a level of maturity and temperament which belies their age, and Mrs Grose, (Megs Jenkins) the housekeeper, is a wise and friendly aid. But life at Bly House takes a sinister turn. Miss Giddens begins to see haunting images and ghosts. The children also begin to act strangely: Flora becomes distant and Miles begins to flirt with Miss Giddens, at one point kissing her forcefully on the mouth. Everything seems to hark back to the previous governess Miss Jessel (Clytie Jessop), who died under mysterious circumstances, and the strange relationship she had with the deceased former squier Alan Quint (Peter Wyngarde). Miss Giddens becomes convinced that the children have been a party to this evil, and attempts to save them - and herself - from the same fate.
If one wanted a Freudian analysis, one could say that the seductive Alan appeared to help the repressed Miss Giddens confront her long-buried sexual urges, but you can glean whatever you wish from the ambiguous material. The performances from the entire company are superb. I agree that the performance of Martin Stephens is amazing (and it must have been difficult for him to have played the confronting kissing scene with Kerr). The scenes between Stephens and Deborah Kerr are eerie and full of tension. Likewise, young Pamela Franklin (who would later make acclaimed appearances in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" and "The Legend of Hell House") makes the role of Flora one that the audience completely falls in love with. Deborah Kerr, attired in a beautiful wardrobe of Victorian hoopskirt creations by Motley, delivers one of her greatest performances, wonderfully-plotted and realised as Miss Giddens slowly becomes transformed by paranoia.
The new DVD edition from Fox presents the DVD in it's original CinemaScope ratio, capturing the moody and innovative photography by Freddie Francis (a fullscreen version is featured on the flipside). Extra features are limited to the trailer, as well as trailers for other thrillers from Fox: "The Legend of Hell House", "Phantom of the Paradise" and "The Cabinet of Caligari".
Movie Review: Gothic Horror Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
It is hard to imagine anyone capturing the mood of Henry James' 19th century ghostly tale better than Jack Clayton and company did with this version of his short story, 'A Turn of the Screw'. The company in this case was the masterful triumvirate of director Clayton, cinematographer Freddie Francis, and script writer Truman Capote.
I will leave the plot to other reviewers and stick to the things that set this apart from most other horror films.
The juxtaposition of youthful innocence and ghoulish malevolence plays beautifully against the backdrop of an english landscape. Even daylight is not enough to ward off the heebie-jeebies one feels whether it's a ghostly call for a child wafting through a grove of willows, a shadow-like form staring downward from a tower, or a lonely apparition standing in the midst of distant high grass.
There is no blood, nor is there any gore. Fans of today's slash and gash cinema will be lost in this film's intellectual study of psychological terror. Music, sound effects, and a creepy darkness work together to subtly weave a chilling skein that raises goosebumps the old-fashioned way.
There is a great story regarding one of the scenes, involving Deborah Kerr and the actor who masterfully played the silent but wickedly evil Quint (Peter Wyngard). Kerr's character, Miss Giddens, playing hide-and-seek, was hiding from the two children, and chose to place herself behind a curtain covering a glass door leading to the outdoors. It was night when they shot this scene. Miss Giddens was to turn (supposedly seeing something out of the corner of her eye) and scream aghast at the image her character sees: an apparition, a man (Quint) staring at her from the other side of the glass (at that moment, the shot the director was trying to get, was simply see her reaction). The shot of her turning and reacting was taken several times and each failed to win over the director - it just wasn't real enough. So finally, on one particular take, Peter Wyngard moved into the place on the other side of the glass and did so without alerting the actress. The shot we see in the film of Deborah Kerr turning and reacting to seeing the ghoul, Quint, so close by was un-rehearsed and absolutely authentic. According to Kerr, her reaction was completely natural - she had no idea that Wyngard had moved himself into position behind the glass glowering directly into her face as she turned.
This is a film to watch late at night, with all of the lights turned off, preferably alone in a large house, a house whose floor boards occasionally creak on their own.